Learning to Love
by MarilynnRae
Summary: Dana Scully adopts a little girl, Shiloh, just before she joins the FBI. She copes with being a mother and an agent while she tries to sort her feelings about her new assignment to the X-Files and her new partner Fox Mulder. Together the three of the search for the truth and find so much more.
1. Chapter 1

_**I know Scully did her residency in forensic medicine, but for this story, let's just act like she did a run in the ER too. I needed a meet cute for them. **_

Dana Scully was in her last stretch of residency when the accident happened. A family of three hit by a large pickup truck in their smaller vehicle. The car flipped several times, ejecting the mother from the car killing her instantly. The father died shortly after due to internal injuries. Though the four year old daughter of Teresa and Kent Knight, somehow survived with no serious injuries, she was doomed to live her life in the foster system.

Dana was working the ER when they girl was brought in. Her face had minor scrapes and her wrist was swollen and bruised. The girl was hysterical, screaming as they rolled her in on the gurney.

Dana came running toward the child.

"Found in an overturned vehicle, parents were both gone when we arrived. No one can get her to calm down and tell us her name," the paramedic informed her as the girl continued her hysterical sobs as a nurse tried to remove her jumper.

"No! No! No!" the girl screamed, pushing the nurses hands away.

"She's in shock," Dana snapped at the other workers. "Let's get her to a private room so she can calm down."

When the nurse reached for the little girl again, the girl let out another shriek. "No! No! No!"

Dana pushed the nurse's hands away and moved to look the tiny girl in the face. "Sweetie, I need you to take a deep breath. Can you do that for me?"

The little girl nodded and sucked in a breath that was choppy with her quivering chin.

Dana smiled at her. "Good girl. Now let's keep doing that."

She couched the girl through her deep breaths as they moved her into a private room. The little girl wore a navy blue jumper and her dark brown curls in pig tails. Her white tights and buckle shoes were still in good condition, in fact the little girl look dressed up.

The nurse once again moved toward her again, the girl launched herself into Dana's arms, away from the nurse again. The little girl stared at the nurse with horror through her watery eyes. "Okay, Carrie, why don't you stand over there? She seems to be very leery toward other people," Dana instructed her ER nurse who replied with a nod.

Gently placing the little girl on the bed, Dana decided against trying to change her into the robe and to just keep her in the jumper for now.

"Can you tell me your name, sweetheart?" she asked the little girl.

"Shiloh…" the girl said warily, her voice shaky.

Shiloh raised her hand and touched Dana's necklace. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face beat red from all the crying, but she seemed to have calmed tremendously.

"Shiloh," Scully said softly, rolling her sleeves up, "does your wrist hurt?"

The little girl nodded her head, but she didn't want to stay on that topic. "Where's Mommy?" Shiloh asked her.

Scully took a deep breath and stopped her examination long enough to look the little girl in the face. "Sweetie, your parents…"

There was no need to say more. The girl may have been young, but she already had the skills of reading people. But the girl was done crying. Instead, she looked up at Doctor Dana Scully and nodded. "Okay…" she said sadly. "Daddy and Mommy are with the angels too…"

Dana Scully's heart broke as the little girl simply accepted this as fact. She was still blessed with both her parents and couldn't imagine life without them, but this little girl was taking it with almost a numbness. It was as though all her life she had been told that this was going to happen, that when it did she just needed to accept it and move on.

Shiloh Knight was four years old when her parent died on Saturday, December 23, 1989. She had no family, no aunts and uncles or even grandparents and her parent's funeral was to be held December 27. The girl was destine to spend the rest of her life bouncing from home to home in the foster system.

Days passed and Scully felt herself become more and more attached to the girl, until it was the day before Christmas eve.

Shiloh survived a car crash with little more than a couple scrapes and a fractured wrist, but the emotional damage was much more severe. She didn't look anyone in the eye if Scully was not in the room, she refused to speak to social workers and the police, and she didn't sleep if she wasn't sedated or Scully wasn't there to reassure her everything would be fine. Dana Scully was the only one who could get through to the child. The day came for the social workers to place her, the entire hospital could hear the girl screaming.

"Dana! Dana!" she screamed frantically trying to get away from the social worker.

Scully ran through the hallway toward the girl's calls as the woman tried to restrain Shiloh and drag her to the door.

"Stop!" Scully commanded with such a fierce amount of authority the woman obeyed, releasing the girl. Shiloh ran to Scully and wrapped her arms around her legs, peering at the social worker around her hip.

"What do you think you're doing?" she snapped, placing a hand over the little girl's back attempting to calm her.

"She's now a ward of the state, she can't just stay here," the woman stuttered, realizing that this was not going to be as easy as she had hoped.

Shiloh looked up at Scully with massive sad blue eyes. "Don't make me go, Dana. Please don't make me go…"

Scully swallowed hard. She didn't want to see her go either. In fact, she had grown extremely attached to the girl. Even when she got off, she would be camped out in Shiloh's room, reading her stories and telling her about her family.

"It's nearly the holidays and you found her a home?" Scully asked.

The woman looked sheepish as she shook her head. "We weren't given enough notice to find her a foster home, but there's a bed for her at Hope's Shelter for Girls."

Scully's heart dropped to her stomach. No way was she allowing Shiloh to go to a shelter.

"Is there any way I can get emergency custody?" she asked softly. This wasn't something she ever saw herself doing, but there was something about Shiloh. She was special in some way. This girl was fragile, more than that, she shared a sort of bond with the little girl. Something says she could honestly say wasn't something that had happened before.

"There are certain qualifications, certain requirements-" the social worker rambled.

"But I can do it?" Scully snapped trying to get the woman to focus.

The woman looked frustrated. "Yes, but there is paperwork-"

"Then get it. Shiloh has been through enough. I'm not letting her drown in the foster system," Scully pressed picking up the child and setting her on her hip.

The social worker handed her a stack of papers. "Fill those out, if you would like anything more than emergency temporary custody there is more paperwork for you to fill out. But that requires a home visit and-"

"Whatever it is, I'll do it. Just let me take Shiloh home," Scully said almost weakly.

Shiloh buried her face into Scully's neck as she filled out paper after paper. When she finally signed the last X, Scully left. Taking the little girl home to her apartment. It was the beginning of a new life.

The next March, Scully was recruited into the FBI, but it wasn't until March of 1993 that things really became interesting.

Shiloh Knight became Shiloh Scully on December 5, 1991. She attended Valley Catholic Elementary School two blocks away from the Hoover Building in which Scully had been reassigned as a partner to Fox Mulder on the X-Files.

"_Then _Mark Williams said I was a rent-a-kid! I'm _not_ a rent-a-kid, am I Mommy?" Shiloh asked her mother as they walked up the steps to the school.

Scully frowned, she already didn't like the Williams kid and made a mental note to talk to her teacher about him teasing Shiloh about being adopted, but that was going to have to wait. She had to make a good impression and get to work on time first.

"No, Shiloh," Scully replied, fixing her daughter's jacket and kneeling down to look her in the eye. "You are perfect and I love you."

Shiloh's blue eyes lit up. "I love you too Mommy."

Scully smiled. "Good, now give me a kiss so I can go to work." Shiloh leaned down and kissed her mother on the lips.

Scully double check her backpack. "Are you going to pick me up today, Mommy?"

"No, Grandpa is." She didn't have to see her daughter to know she was pouting slightly. She loved her grandparents, but she was definitely a mommy's girl. She kissed her daughter one last time before dropping her off at her classroom.

As she walked the two blocks to the Hoover building, Scully took a deep breath. She was preparing herself for change. Little did she know that no amount of deep breathing would be able to prepare her for her entire life's new direction.

Fox Mulder sat in his basement office, the office that he was dubbed to believe he deserved. He was brilliant, bold, but his belief and search of the unknown made him a joke in the eyes of his colleagues. "Spooky Mulder." A nickname he was cursed with while he searched for his lihis little grey men.

He knew they were sending someone down to be his partner, to debunk his work. The moment he learned the name, he dug up every possible bit of information about her. Undergraduate degree in physics from Maryland University, went to medical school, was an instructor at Quantico. The woman was obviously brilliant, sent to him to use her science to put an end to the X-Files.

He only had a limited time with the file so reading anything into her personal past was out of the question.

When there was a knock on the door, he promptly decided he was going to give her hell. "Sorry, nobody down here but the FBI's most unwanted."

Dana Scully pushed the door open to see Mulder working over some sort of light. Newspaper cut outs were hung on the wall along with a poster of a UFO that said "I WANT TO BELIEVE". She was immediately taken back, but she pretend she wasn't.

Finally Mulder looked up at her and she smiled at him pleasantly as she extended her hand to him. "Agent Mulder, I'm Dana Scully. I've been assigned to work with you."

Mulder took her hand, and shook it. Even though he really wanted to hate her right away, her charm and not to mention her good looks kept him from doing so. "Well isn't it nice to be so highly regarded," he quipped. Quickly he reminded himself to not become friends with the enemy. "So who did you tick off to get stuck with this detail?"

Scully decided she wasn't going to play his game. "Actually, I'm looking forward to working with you. I've heard a lot about you."

Mulder looked at her. "Oh really? I was under the impression that you were sent to spy on me."

Well, he wasn't stupid, Scully knew he probably knew more than he let on, but she didn't want to pick a fight. Yet, that's all they seemed to do right off the bad. So what if he was handsome and intelligent? He was a pompous ass that made it difficult for her to remain neutral and calm.

It felt like he was constantly mocking her, throwing everything she did back in her face. She was highly qualified and they both knew it. But Mulder didn't want her have the chance to feel comfortable.

Finally after showing her several slides, he looked at her. A teasing smile played on his lips. "Do you believe in the existence of extra terrestrials?"

She looked at him for a second. His grin slightly contagious and pulling up the ends of her mouth, she replied. "Logically, I'd have to say no. Given the distances needed to travel from the far reaches of space the energy requirements would exceed a spacecraft's capabilities."

Mulder nodded, holding a sad but knowing smile. "See you tomorrow morning Scully, bright and early. We leave for the very plausible state of Oregon at eight AM."

She couldn't help but smile at the strange man, and turn back toward the door. Shiloh would not be happy about her leaving so quickly, but at least she would be able to pick her up from school.

Mulder couldn't help but find Scully extremely attractive. She was tough, he could tell that already. Actually, he was a little surprised that he was attracted to her. He usually went for the tall, leggy, brunettes. Redheads weren't usually his style.

As much as he didn't want her to debunk his work, there was something he just like about her.

At about two thirty, Scully stood with the rest of the parents in the schoolyard. Shiloh hurried out the door, past her schoolmates straight to her mother. "Mommy, look what I made you!" she said excitedly. She held up a hand drawn picture of her mother with her badge. "I'm the only kid in the class whose mommy's in the FBI! One kid dad is, but no one's mommy!"

Scully smiled down at her daughter. She really loved her daughter. Never in her life would she had thought that being a single mother with a career as an FBI field agent ever be in her future. But there she was.

Shiloh held her hand as they walked back to the car that was parked in the Hoover parking garage.

As Scully reached into her purse, she realized that she had left her keys in the basement office.

"Great…"

Shiloh looked up. "What's wrong, Mommy?" she asked concerned.

Scully ran a hand over her face. "Well, it looks like you get to meet Mommy's new partner. I left my car keys in his office."

_**Let me know if you think I should continue!**_


	2. Destiny

Mulder was sitting in his office, leaned back in his chair throwing pencils at the ceiling when there was another knock on the door. He nearly fell over in his chair but somehow managed to recover just in time to see Scully walk through the door.

"I left my keys," she said blandly, slipping in and moving toward the desk. A little body moved behind her, taking Mulder by surprise.

The little girl held on to her mother's jacket as she moved, but Mulder couldn't help but notice how there seemed to be no similarities between the two girls. The little girl's dark brown hair was a complete contrast to Scully's red locks, and the girls eyes were a ocean blue, similar, but not quite the same. Yet, by the way the little girl clung to her, he would have to say it was his partner's daughter.

"Hi," Mulder said to the little girl, surprising both Scully and Shiloh.

Shiloh looked at him, still clinging to her mother. "Hi."

"And you are?" Mulder asked kindly. He leaned in toward the little girl, and much to Scully's surprise, she didn't hide away.

"I'm Shiloh. Are you Mommy's new partner?" she asked, her eyes widening with curiosity.

Mulder couldn't help but smile at the little girl. She had this innocence about her that made him have a little hope in the world. "Fox Mulder at your service," he said to her, standing up and taking a dramatic bow to her.

Shiloh giggled. "Fox? That's a funny name."

Scully glared at her daughter. "Shiloh, manners!" Then she looked sheepishly at her partner. Man they were really getting off to a fantastic start. "I'm so sorry, she doesn't always think before she speaks."

Mulder just laughed. "It's okay," he looked back at Shiloh. "I think it's a funny name too. How about you just call me Mulder?"

Shiloh nodded and grinned up at him. "Okay, Mulder."

The scene was simply amazing to Scully. The girl willingly went to Mulder as though she had known him her whole life. Shiloh had a tendency of being too reserved, especially with strangers. Teachers would make the comment about how intelligent she was, but she was unbearably shy. Even with Scully's siblings, she would be polite, but keep close to her mother.

Yet, the girl just walked into Mulder's office and she was enchanted by him.

"Okay, kiddo, tell Agent Mulder bye," Scully said pleasantly.

Shiloh pouted at her mother. "But Mommy, can't we stay? Please?"

Scully gave her daughter a stern look. "No, Agent Mulder probably has a lot of work to do."

Mulder's face fell a little. He was actually really enjoying the company, but he supposed she was right. "Oh yeah, tons," he said sarcastically to Scully giving her a wink. "Besides you probably need to get to packing."

Immediately Mulder regretted his words when Shiloh looked up at her mother confused. "Packing? Packing for what?"

Scully cursed her daughter for being so sharp. She wasn't angry at him for giving up too much information either, it was an honest mistake and she could tell Mulder was already regretting his words.

Kneeling to her daughter's level, Scully looked her daughter in the eye. "Remember? I told you my new job means I have to go out of town more often, and you'll have to stay with grandma and grandpa."

Shiloh looked hesitant. "Yes, I know Mommy. Mulder's going with you too?"

It felt like an odd question, but Scully still nodded. Immediately, the little girl turned around and looked at Mulder with utmost seriousness. "You're going to take care of my Mommy right?"

"Shiloh!" Scully scold, her cheeks turning red. This was really turning out to be quite the first day.

Mulder bent down to the little girl's level and smiled at her. "Do you know what partners do?" he asked her. She shook her head. "Partners take care of each other. We make sure nothing happens. You're mother is safe with me."

Shiloh's face lit up. "Good."

Scully smiled at Mulder. "We better get going," she said to him as he stood up. Mulder nodded and opened the door for the two.

At the beginning of the case, Scully was sure Mulder was crazy, but that didn't stop her from seeking him out in the middle of the night in her bathrobe when she feared that she had the same marks as the other victims. The things she had seen thus far had been, to say the least, bizarre, but science would answer all the questions she had.

There she was at his door as the rain poured down behind her. Her hair curling from the dampness. Mulder opened the door and greeted her, holding a candle due to the power being out. "Hi," he said as though it was not odd for Dana Scully to be standing outside his motel room in a bathrobe.

She meant for her voice to be calm, yet even she could hear the slight fear it held. "I need you to look at something."

He opened the door wider for her. "Come on in."

With swift movement, she moved a couple steps into the room, allowing him to close the door. She untied her bathrobe quickly, but held it closed long enough to take a deep breath. Finally, she dropped it, revealing herself in her bra and panties.

Mulder stared at her. She was beautiful and it was hard not to. But when Scully met his eyes and glanced downward for him to examine her back, he respectfully obeyed.

She had three bumps, right above her panty line.

"What are they?" she asked him. He took a closer look, not answering her right away. "Mulder, what are they?!"

He glanced up to her dazzling blue eyes and smiled. "Mosquito bites."

Her voice went high. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he laughed giving her a comforting smile. She sighed in relief and pulled up her robe. "I got eat up alive myself out there."

She spun around and laid her head on his chest, hugging him and thanking him silently. Mulder's smile faded when he realized how truly terrified she was at that moment. He folded his free arm around her and held her.

"You okay?" he asked.

It was at that moment she realized what she had done. Putting both hands on his chest, she pushed off of him, without making eye contact. "Yes," she said sounding like the tough agent she was.

Mulder fought to gain her eye contact, not letting her stray away. "You're shaking."

Scully kept her eyes down. "I need to sit down."

He sat down beside her and didn't take his eyes off of her. But she was shaking for a reason. This stuff was scaring her. She had worked other cases. Murder cases, missing persons, but nothing that shook her up like this. All her head could focus on after she saw those bumps was Shiloh. She was six, wouldn't be seven until November, and she had already lost one set of parents, she wasn't going to lose her new mommy too.

If anything ever happened to Scully, she would go to Melissa. That's what she and Missy agreed on, but in the back of her mind Scully knew Missy would not be able to handle a child and Shiloh would be passed onto her parents. She shivered at the thought. She definitely didn't want her mother raising her child. But that's where her mind went when she felt the tiny bumps. She thought of Shiloh, but now that she knew she was fine, her mind was on a completely new subject.

She couldn't believe how her cold, calm exterior went into Mulder's arms when relief flooded her how the two raised bumped on her lower back were nothing more than insect bites. She buried her face in his chest as he slowly closed his arms around her. The moment she realized what she was doing she pulled away, _because it felt too right._

Perhaps the most bizarre thing about that night, beyond the odd lights and the strange man, was how comfortable she felt while Mulder's arms were wrap around her. The smell of his musky cologne, the feeling of his warm body, it was the most comfort she had felt from a man in years and yet she had only known him three days.

Not that she would ever admit it. Nor would she admit how much this case shook her up. She was borderline afraid, and Mulder made her feel safe.

He didn't leave her side until she was sure she was okay, and even then, he insisted she stay in his room. Of course he was a perfect gentleman, allowing her to take the bed while he sat against the side of the bed, his head laying at an awkward angle at her feet.

Scully was laying on her back looking up at the ceiling when she finally decided to speak. "Can I ask you a question Mulder?"

"Ask away, I'm an open book," he teased, wishing slightly he could see if she was smiling.

She rolled over on her side and looked down at him."Why the X-Files? I mean, you could do anything you want and you chose a basement office doing cases like these. Why?"

The question struck a chord with Mulder and he looked away from her. "I was twelve when it happened," he said solemnly. "My sister was eight. She just disappeared out of her bed one night. Just gone. Vanished. No note, no phone calls, no evidence of anything."

Scully's heart broke for him as she was beginning to understand. "You never found her."

"Tore the family apart. No one would talk about it. There were no facts to confront, nothing to offer any hope," Mulder continued. His words were empty of everything, even emotion. Scully wanted to comfort him as he finally looked up at her.

"What did you do?" she asked him gently.

Mulder shrugged slightly. "Eventually, I went off to school in England. Came back, got recruited by the bureau. Seems I had a natural aptitude for applying behavioral model to criminal cases. My success allowed me a certain freedom to pursue my own interests and that's when I came across the x-files."

He shifted his body to where he was completely facing her. His head resting on his folded hands. His face only a foot away from Scully's but they both were comfortable.

"By accident? Scully asked him.

"At first it looked like a garbage dump for UFO sightings, alien abduction reports, the kind of stuff that most people laugh at as being ridiculous, but I was fascinated. I read all the cases I could get my hands on. Hundreds of them. I read everything I could about paranormal phenomena, about the occult, and…" He stopped, and turned away from her again.

It hurt her a little that he turned away. Gently reaching out for him, she encouraged him to continue. "What?"

He looked at her. "There's classified government information I've been trying to access but someone has been blocking my attempts to get at it."

Scully sat up. "Who? I don't understand."

"Someone at a higher level of power. The only reason I've been allowed to continue with my work is because I've made connections in congress," Mulder explained to her.

Scully still didn't understand. "And they're afraid of what? That you'll leak this information?"

Mulder looked at her the same way he did when they first met. "You're part of that agenda, you know that."

Scully looked him in the eye. "I'm not a part of any agenda. You've got to trust me," she pressed. She wanted him to realize that she really was on his side. They were partners. "I'm here just like you, to solve this."

He moved to where he was kneeling in front of her. "I'm telling you this Scully, because you need to know. Because of what you've seen." He prayed she'd take him seriously. "In my research I've worked very closely with a man named Heitz Werber and he's taken me through deep regression hypnosis. I've been able to go into my own repressed memories to the night my sister disappeared. I can recall a bright light outside and a presence in the room. I was paralyzed. Unable to respond to my sister's calls for help." He moved closer to her, his voice ringing with urgency. "Listen to me, Scully. This thing exists."

Scully looked him in the eye. "But how do you kn-"

"The government knows about it and I got to know what they're protecting. Nothing else matters to me and this is as close as I've ever gotten to it," Mulder told her urgently.

They were both silent for a moment, studying each other when the phone rang, making Scully jump and just like that they were back in work mode.

Two days later they were on a plane home. Scully had chosen her side before her bosses and she chose Mulder. She chose to stick to her guns, even though it meant getting on her bosses bad side. She had become a rebel within the system and she wasn't one hundred percent sure why she chose to do so other than she felt a bizarre need to follow Mulder's quest.

When she returned home, three whole days after she left, Shiloh met her at the door. She ran to her mother and wrapped her arms around her

"I missed you, Mommy," Shiloh said sleepily as Melissa walked out of her apartment with a small smile.

"I'll catch up with you later, Danes," Missy told her sister kissing her cheek and heading toward the elevator.

Scully picked up her daughter and carried her into the apartment. Shiloh had to be at school at eight the next morning, but after today she was tempted to make tomorrow a mental health day for the both of them. But she knew it would be easier to just suck it up and get through tomorrow and enjoy the weekend with her daughter.

Which is exactly what she planned to do when Friday at five PM finally rolled around. She hurried to her mother's to pick up Shiloh and spend the weekend together. Shiloh had been begging to go to the park lately since it had been getting warmer.

As soon as Scully got in the elevator, Mulder was right behind her.

"Plans for the weekend, Mulder?" she asked him. It was odd how much she was beginning to enjoy his company.

"Other than to sit around in my bachelor pad? Nope. One of the perks of being 'Spooky Mulder,' he quipped.

Scully frowned at him. "You know, if you're really not busy, you can come to the park with me and Shiloh tomorrow." The offer came out before she could ever register she said it. She suddenly looked up at him. "If you want, I mean."

Mulder studied her a second. "That sounds like fun. Shiloh a cute kid," he said giving her a smile.

"And she actually talks to you," Scully added. "She didn't even speak to my mom for the first two weeks. Yet she acted like she's known you her whole life."

Mulder smiled at her with that mischievous boyish grin. "What can I say, I just have a thing for Scully women."

Scully's face heated up and the elevator dinged. "Tomorrow at about two?" she reached into her purse and scribbled down her address. "Just come by my place."

Without another word she handed him the paper and disappeared out of the elevator. Mulder couldn't help but smile, knowing that in some small way, she felt it too. They had a connection, that he didn't quite understand, but he knew it was there.

As he walked out of the elevator he made a mental note to ask Scully how she felt about destiny.

_**So… there's a lot of directions I could take this story… Let me know what you all think so far. **_


	3. Ahab, Starbuck, and Stubb

As Scully pulled up to her mother's house she could already see Shiloh sitting in the yard with a very pitiful look on her face. She stepped out of the room and moved toward her daughter, taking a seat in the grass next to her.

"Hi Mommy," she said softly, not looking up at her mother. Scully glanced toward the screen door to see her mother, Margret Scully, standing there watching them.

"Hey baby. What are you doing out here?" Scully asked her daughter, pushing the curls off her face and trying to get her child to look at her.

Shiloh didn't though, she just kept the sad look and pulled out more grass around her and piled in on her legs. She was no longer in her school uniform, instead in her play clothes; jean shorts and a t-shirt that said _Oh Captain, My Captain. _

"I'm playing," she said unconvincingly.

Scully looked down at her daughter and frowned. "What's wrong baby?"

Shiloh looked up at her mother, but she didn't reply. Instead, she just lifted her arms so Scully you pick her up. Lifting her and setting her on her hip, Scully moved into her parent's house. Her little girl's face was buried in her neck as she pushed the storm door open.

Scully looked at her mother and mouth _What's wrong with Shiloh? _

Maggie shrugged. "She's been like this since I picked her up," she told her.

Scully looked at her daughter and felt her forehead. She didn't feel warm. "Do you feel sick? Does your tummy hurt?"

Shiloh just shook her head. "Mommy?" she said softly, looking up her mother with big blue eyes.

Scully set her daughter down and kneeled in front of her, giving her daughter her full attention. "Yes baby?"

"I don't want to go to school no more," the little girl choked before bursting into tears right where she stood.

Maggie Scully watched her daughter pull her grandchild into her arms. Scully looked up at her with a helpless expression as the six year old continued crying. Bill Scully Senior came into the room when he heard the little girl begin to sob.

Much like her mother, Shiloh was more attached to her grandfather than her grandmother.

"What's wrong, Stubb?" he asked his granddaughter, bending down too.

Little Shiloh looked at her beloved grandfather. "I don't want to go to school, Ahab, not no more."

Dana, Shiloh, and Bill Senior all had a very close connection to Moby Dick. Bill Senior had always been called Ahab by his youngest daughter, in which he returned by calling her Starbuck. The tradition passed on when Shiloh came into their lives taking the name Stubb, or the second mate of the ship.

"Why's that?" Ahab asked his only grandchild as she clung to her mother.

"'Cause Mark Williams told everyone my mommy wasn't my real mommy and I would have to go live with someone else who has lots of other kids and I wouldn't get to eat and I'd have to sleep on the floor," Shiloh said quickly, almost in a panic. She looked at her mother. "That's not true, is it Mommy? I'm yours forever aren't I?"

"Of course," Scully said immediately pulling the little girl against her. Monday morning she was going to walk into Shiloh's school and tell her teacher that she needed to put a stop to Shiloh being picked on. The little girl had been through enough in her life, being bullied because she was adopted was quite enough.

She let go of her daughter, drying her tears with her thumbs. "Go get your things and you and I can go home. Okay?"

The little girl nodded obediently. "Yes Mommy."

All three adults watched the girl hurry off to collect her backpack. Maggie sighed. "I remember when we first met that little mess," she said fondly.

Scully remembered too. She remembered carrying that little girl down the street to the store at seven o'clock at night, wrapped up in her coat since she didn't have one of her own. She remembered the way the clerk looked at her as she purchased a ton of child's clothing and Christmas presents as Shiloh slept with her head on her shoulder. She remembered how the little girl woke up crying, asking for her mother, and Scully could only offer herself.

But she did remember that Christmas Eve as well. The looks her siblings gave her when she carried in a three year old on her hip, not to mention her parents. They were full of questions, and Shiloh was obviously uncomfortable. Anytime someone would talk to her, she would bury her face into Scully's shirt, God forbid anyone touch her.

It took weeks for Shiloh to even speak to any of her family members, but of course the first person she said anything to was her grandfather. Scully walked into her parents living room one afternoon in late January to find Shiloh sitting on Bill Senior's lap giggling and smiling over a picture book. Shiloh looked over to her standing in the door way and grinned. "Mommy, wanna read with us?"

That was the moment when Scully knew that Shiloh was never going anywhere else. She was going to be her daughter and nothing was going to stop it from happening.

Scully kissed her parents goodbye and walked with Shiloh out to the car. "So," Scully said to her daughter, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. "Agent Mulder is going to come to the park with us tomorrow, is that okay?"

"I like Mulder," Shiloh told her, finally falling back into her usual playful self. "Can we see him tonight?"

"No, not tonight, baby. Tomorrow afternoon," Scully replied.

Though, even she felt she couldn't wait until tomorrow. But she did. She tried to pretend that she didn't care she was wearing, but she did. She ended up sticking with her jeans and a shirt that was nice, but not too nice.

She was trying not to car, but she did. Then again, she always cared about what she looked like when she went out. At least that's what she told herself.

At five before two, there was a knock on her apartment door. Shiloh ran past her and stopped with her hand on the knob. "Can I open the door, Mommy?"

Scully nodded leaning against the door frame.

Mulder looked nervous, at first when he saw her standing there. He felt nervous. They were in a very odd place. This was his new partner and he was coming to her apartment on a Saturday because she invited him.

He knew she invited him because she felt bad for him, but he didn't care. He just didn't right then.

"Hey Scully," he said giving her a classic half smile.

"Hey Mulder," she returned with the same small smile.

As though she felt forgotten, Shiloh latched onto Mulder's hand. "Hi Mulder!"

He looked down to the mess of brown curls and picked her up. He spun her around quickly, making her burst into a fir of giggles.

"Hi Shiloh," Mulder replied, stopping the spinning and tickling her stomach. She couldn't quit laughing.

"Mulder, _stop_," she whined forcing a pout.

Mulder pretended to huff as he placed the girl back on the ground. Scully smiled at the scene, but then took a deep breath and clapped her hands together. As much as she didn't want to interrupt, she felt the need to.

"Well, we better get going," Scully said offering her daughter her hand and grabbing her purse off the counter.

They walked together, Scully mostly silent as her daughter chatted her partner's ear off about her dance class and her new sneakers, but the moment they stepped onto the playground Shiloh burst into play mode, leaving the two adults behind to find a bench.

Scully took a seat where it was easy to see the entire playground. Shiloh was way too daring for her own good and she had a tendency of disappearing if given the chance.

"Please stay in my sight, sweetie," Scully called after her daughter who was already climbing her way to up the highest point of the jungle gym.

Mulder looked over at her and studied her. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked her as they sat a comfortable distance away from each other.

She studied him, not sure if she could talk him seriously. "Sure," she said carefully.

"What's the story?" he asked bluntly.

Scully looked away from him, and inhaled. "You mean Shiloh's story. Well," Scully sighed and watched her daughter dangle from the monkey bars. "Her parents were killed in a car crash that she somehow survived with a broken wrist and a couple scrapes. I was working ER that night."

Mulder watched her as she took another deep breath. "I was the only one she would talk to or let touch her. She was extremely traumatized. They were going to throw her into the foster system and," her voice became higher and looked at Mulder, "you've heard the same horror stories. But I don't know. It was love at first sight."

Scully laughed halfheartedly as though she was worried about how ridiculous her story sounded. "It normally takes her weeks to warm up to people, even now, but she took to you like… well… she took to me."

Mulder looked at Scully and smiled. "She's a pretty neat kid."

Scully laughed. "Oh I know. I just wish kids weren't so brutal to her."

Her tone concerned him. Kid's could definitely be brutal, but Shiloh was as sweet as they came, sharp too. "How so?"

Scully looked at him. "_Rent-a-kid._ Not many kids attend Valley Catholic are adopted."

Mulder's heart dropped at he looked back at the little girl, but before he could comment Shiloh ran to him grabbed his hand. "Will you push me on the swing? Please, Mulder? Please?"

How could he say no? Scully watched the tall man follow Shiloh over to the swings where he lifted her up and placed her on the swing.

Dana Scully had a feeling that she was really going to like her new partner. This was the beginning of something very good.


	4. Borrowed Strength

When Tom Colton invited Scully to lunch, she was a little leery. As much as she enjoyed seeing her old classmate, she knew he would have something to say about her new assignment. Plus, he had a certain heir about him.

She had barely taken two bites of her food and he was already on the subject of the X-Files. "So how are you doing? Have you had any 'close encounters of the third kind'?"

Suddenly her food seemed less appetizing. If he didn't ask her to help out on a case that didn't involve aliens she probably would have smarted off to as soon as the words "Spooky Mulder" came out of his mouth. Mulder was her partner and she was oddly protective of him. Though his ideas were, well, peculiar, he was a good agent and a great profiler. Plus, he always got her daughter's name right.

"How's Shanna? Or is it Shannon?" Tom asked taking a bite of his

"It's Shiloh," Scully said coldly. "And she's good." Not that he really cared. He was just trying to make conversation. She would help him because they were old friends and respected him as an agent, but she had a feeling she didn't want to make a habit of it. Even if being Mulder's partner made her "Mrs. Spooky."

When lunch was finally over, Scully was happy to find her way back down to the basement office where Mulder was already sitting there. She filled him in on the case and of course he took minor offense to not being asked himself, though she could tell he expected it.

Of course, the moment Colton walked in Mulder decided to be a little more obnoxious than usual. Scully almost wished she had some sort of leash for him when he behaved like this, even though she found it oddly cute.

Two days later Scully had gone from helping out an old friend to pretty well telling him to screw off after telling him she'd stick with Mulder. She'd always stick with Mulder, she decided. But that moment he reached out and hooked his finger through the chain on her necklace and played with it slightly while he told her that he enjoyed her company and was appreciative toward her, she melted slightly.

Mulder had charm, looks, and her daughter's heart. Was he beginning to get hers too?

The evidence that they followed apart from Colton's case let them right back to the suspect she had found in the ventilation shaft. A finger print, stretched or not, did match Eugene Tooms all connected to cases in 1903, 1933, and 1963. Eventually the evidence did lead them to a hole in the wall. Quite literally. They had the guy, they just had to find him.

Still, Scully was glad to get home and hold her daughter in her arms. The scenes she had viewed in the past couple days had left her desperately needing a hug from her daughter and that's exactly what she got when she walked through the doors of her apartment. As usual, Missy kissed her sister's cheek and headed out to her usual night life. Quickly putting her gun in one of the high cabinets, she pulled Shiloh into her arms. Scully on the other hand just loved holding her little girl for a little while longer, that was all the night life she needed.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" she asked, the worry obvious in a six-year-old's voice.

Scully just smiled down at her daughter. "Just a long day, sweetheart."

The little girl beamed at her mother and hugged her again. "Two hugs for long days," Shiloh insisted as her arms wrapped around her mother's neck.

Of course every parent said their kid was amazing, but Shiloh was definitely that. For a child she was extremely insightful and a heart of gold. Of course she had her ornery moments, but that was just another thing Scully loved about her.

"How'd I get so lucky to have such a lovely little girl?" Scully asked her daughter, rubbing their noses together in an Eskimo kiss.

Shiloh only giggled in response as Scully scooped her up and carried her into the bathroom. "You, young lady, need a bath!"

When Shiloh could decide on a temperature, Scully knelt down to her daughter's level. "Okay, you go get your pajama's while I call Mulder, okay?"

"Kay!" Just like that the munchkin ran to her room while Scully picked up the cordless phone.

She hadn't been able to get a hold of him to let him know that their stake out had been called off, but another message wouldn't hurt. She stood in the bathroom, holding the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she untucked her shirt and the call went to his machine. _It's Mulder, I'm not here so leave a message._

"Mulder, you much have gone out since Colton gave us the night off. I say we file a complaint again him. I am _furious_. Call me when you get in-" Just then Shiloh came running into the bathroom.

"Can I talk to Mulder?" she asked dropping her clothes on the floor at her feet and reaching up for the phone.

Scully looked at her daughter. "It's just his machine, sweetie."

"_Please?"_ Shiloh tried, using her big blue eyes.

Scully rolled her eyes as she smiled and shook her head, "You're admirer would also like to say a few words," Scully told the phone as she offered Shiloh the phone.

"Hi Mulder!" Shiloh exclaimed as Scully sat her down on the toilet lid to remove her socks. The little chatterbox kept going to tell him about her day while Scully went over to turn off the water. As she dried her hands with a towel, a familiar orange goo fell from her ceiling on to the white cloth.

Scully gasped and grabbed her daughter. Her motion was so quick, Shiloh dropped the phone. "What's wrong, Mommy?" she asked, sensing her mother's panic.

But Scully didn't reply. She sped across her apartment to the cabinet she kept her gun in and continued her fierce hold on her daughter with one hand. She ran out of her apartment to across the hall. Banging on her neighbors door like a maniac, she pleaded that Mrs. Williams would hurry up and answer.

The door opened to a familiar grey haired lady, who smiled gently at the two girls. "Hello, Dana, is everything alright?"

Scully pushed her daughter into the other apartment. "There is someone inside my apartment, I need you to take Shiloh and call 911. Can you do that for me?"

Scully didn't wait for a response, instead she just spun around back into her apartment and held her gun with certainty. Training always said to stick close to the walls, but the walls meant vents, which he had already proved in past cases to be able to crawl through.

She eased her way back toward the bathroom, stopping short of it to point her gun at the vent and listened harder. There was no sound, so she quickly spun around and took a step toward her bathroom.

Suddenly the sound of metal hitting the hardwood floor shocked her and something grabbed her ankle. She went forward, landing hard on her hip bones and elbows as a force drug her toward the vent.

Grabbing hold of the door she looked down at the glowing green eyes of Eugene Tooms. She wanted to scream, but what would that do? Instead, she kicked hard until her ankle was free, but Tooms wasn't giving up. He shot out of the vent toward her, knocking her gun from her hands and forcing her onto the floor.

Scully swung hard with her right hand, but he saw it coming and stopped it. Still, he wasn't expecting an even harder shot from the left. Still, he recovered quickly forcing her hands above her head, straddling her. Fear pulsed through her.

"Scully!" the familiar voice called catching Tooms off guard. Quickly, he jump off of Scully and bolted for the bathroom window, putting his fist through the glass.

Reacting quickly, Scully grabbed him. She wasn't alone anymore, she could do this now that Mulder was here. Tooms turned around and grabbed Scully by the throat.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mulder finally appear in the bathroom, grabbing her attacker with one hand and attempting to handcuff him with the other. Tooms had surprising strength, especially for his size. With one swift movement, he knocked Mulder back growling at him like no sane person should.

Letting go of Scully, Tooms lunged for Mulder but was jerked back in mid lunge. Scully had managed to link the handcuff to her bathtub before he could reach her partner.

He lunged again and again, before realizing he was getting nowhere. Finally, he seemed to relax. The glowing green eyes faded back to normal and he just kept hissing through his teeth at them.

Mulder looked past him to Scully who was bracing herself against the wall. "Where's Shiloh?" he asked her, panic and concern filling his voice as he reached for her. Her blouse was ripped open and she looked shaken.

"The neighbors," Scully panted as she willingly went toward him.

He held her by the arm as he checked her over. She seemed to be physically unharmed. They both looked at each other, a conversation happening in their eyes before Scully slowly went into his arms.

"How did you know?" she asked him, her head resting on his chest.

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the golden cross that she always wore around her neck. "I think this belongs to you."

She touched the cross as he hooked it behind her neck. As she turned around to thank him, there was a shocked gasp that pulled her attention away. Looking around him, she saw Mrs. Williams and Shiloh standing in the doorway of the bathroom.

"Mommy!" Shiloh cried extending her arms toward her mother as Tooms lunged and hissed again, acting like a rabid animal.

Scully glared at the older woman. "Everything is taken care of, you did call 911 didn't you?"

Mrs. Williams didn't take her eyes off than man but nodded slowly as Mulder guided them out of the bathroom into the hallway.

"Good, now if you would _please _wait in your apartment…" Scully didn't have to tell her twice. The elderly woman rushed back into her apartment and most likely locked the door behind her. It was also Scully's guess that she would be getting a new neighbor after all this.

Shiloh looked at her mother and Mulder, completely horrorstruck. "Is that the boogeyman?" she asked, her blue eyes shimmering with tears.

Scully shushed her girl, and stroked her hair. "No baby, just someone that Mulder and I have put in jail, okay?"

Shiloh looked between the two adults. "Was he trying to hurt us?"

The question hit Scully hard and Mulder could tell. Putting his arm around Scully's shoulders he touched Shiloh's arm. "Remember how I told you I'd take care of your mother?" Mulder asked and watched the little girl reluctantly bob her head. "That goes for you too. Everyone's okay, and that's all that matters."

Shiloh wasn't complete sold, but her tears stopped at least. When other agents came to take Tooms away, Mulder attempted to say his goodbyes to Scully and Shiloh, but Shiloh clung to him. Her little arms wrapped around his neck, ignoring any of the other agents that tried to talk to her. Any hope that Shiloh was growing out of her shyness was gone.

When the final agent left, Mulder put Shiloh in her bed. She had not had a bath, but that was going to have to wait for now. Scully wasn't even sure how easy it would be to get her back into the master bathroom again.

Standing by the door, Scully watched as Mulder pulled the cover up to her chin and pecked her forehead. She couldn't hear was he was saying, but she could tell that whatever it was it was making Shiloh feel better.

Finally the Mulder stood and walked over to Scully. "She wants her kiss goodnight," he told her, smiling softly.

Scully moved to the side of her bed and brushed the mess of brown curls off of Shiloh's face. She leaned down and looked into her daughter's eyes before finally pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Goodnight," Scully told her daughter, standing up and moving back toward Mulder who was waiting at the door.

"Sleep tight," the girl yawned in response.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Scully finished before following Mulder out of her bedroom and leaving the door cracked behind her.

For a moment they both stood there, Mulder looking down at Scully as she stared at her feet. "Mulder," she said finally, looking up at him with teary eyes.

Mulder immediately put both hand on her and held her shoulders. "Scully," he replied softly, wanting to keep the tears from falling.

"Mulder, if it was just me, I would never ask you this, but," her voice cracked and the first tear slid from her cheek. "Will you please stay tonight. I can't be brave for two people right now."

For the second time that night, Mulder pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Before, Scully would have never let herself be so weak. She had always been strong, but part of being a mother was sharing her strength. Right then, after being attacked in her bathroom, he daughter seeing the man and being so afraid, she needed someone else to help her be strong too.


	5. Phoebe Greene

Scully and Mulder had been working together for over six months now and their friendship had blossomed tremendously. They were with each other more than anyone else, and even outside of work Shiloh insisted on visiting her new best friend Mulder at least a couple times a week. Even more amazing was just how much Mulder loved that little tyrant.

Mulder looked at her as though she was the most wonderful thing on earth, what Scully didn't realize was that he looked at her the exact same way. Scully was the most interesting, complex, strong woman he had ever met. He didn't know what he did to deserve a woman to stand by his side through all the madness. She never left even when given the opportunity. She never would and he would be there whenever she needed him.

Yet, Phoebe Greene had to but a bit of a nick in things.

The moment Scully saw the way the leggy brunette rubbed up on Mulder, she wanted to snap, but that's not what professional women do. Especially not when there's nothing to be jealous about. Nothing. At all.

She had to remind herself of that again when the woman leaned in and kissed Mulder passionately on the lips. Professional. Scully was always professional. It did help to notice that he wasn't returning the kiss, but Scully still wanted to pull the woman off of him and ask her if she's ever heard of a damn handshake.

"You know, some mistakes are quite worth making twice," she told him flirtatiously.

Mulder resisted the urge to glare at the woman. This woman was not suppose to be in his life anymore and for good reason. She was a manipulative little twit that seemed to always get what she want, one way or another, but she was not getting him, again.

Immediately, Mulder looked over the top of the car to see a very displeased Scully turn away. He could tell she wasn't happy, but neither was he. "Dana Scully," he introduce. "This is, uh, Phoebe Greene. Terror of Scotland Yard."

The woman smirked at Scully as though to announce she had won a game that they both were secretly playing, as she gripped the sides of Mulder's coat. "Hello."

"Hello," she replied sarcastically, her professional demeanor dropping just long enough to show the woman she wasn't stupid.

Phoebe leaned into Mulder, her entire body pressing against his as she whispered in his ear, "She hates me."

Mulder said nothing, mostly because he could tell Scully's distaste for Phoebe as well. As usual, Scully's instincts were right on. This woman was a woman that you were not supposed like. If Phoebe Greene could find something to use against you, she will use it. She will manipulate you and hurt you until she gets bored and says she's done. But Mulder had a feeling that Scully was a little more difficult to do that with.

"Well, Mulder, I told Shiloh that we're picking her up so…" Scully muttered, trying to get his attention again.

Mulder looked over the car at her and gave her a smile at the thought of picking up the energetic six year old. The two of them had way too much fun together. The two of them together tended to bring out a much more free side of Scully. He had even convinced Scully to dance around her living room, taking a solo on the coffee table.

Phoebe noticed Mulder's reaction immediately. "I actually came because I could use your help. Care if I ride along?"

Mulder looked over at Scully who was fighting the urge to tell the woman that of course she cared. That Mulder was _her_ partner and she could swim back to where ever she came from. Instead, Scully shrugged.

"Shiloh will be mad at you," Scully warned, after all Shiloh very much valued her time with Mulder.

Mulder pouted at her and then turned to Phoebe. He realized he was not going to be able to get rid of her very easily either. It would be easier to make it up to Shiloh than shake Phoebe because she would just keep bouncing back.

"I'll make it up to her," Mulder replied, wanted to add _and you_. There's little fun may have been purely innocent, but some of his thoughts toward the beautiful red head were not pure. Not that he would ever disrespect her. Even in his mind he was head on a pedestal of respect, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't physically attracted to her. He would also be lying if he said he was only physically attracted to her.

Truthfully, Mulder didn't understand the way he felt about her, but he knew that he wanted to be near her, to talk to her, to make her smile whenever possible. Something he never felt toward anyone in his life.

Mulder opened the door to the back seat of the car and closed it behind Phoebe. Scully was still watching him over the top of the car. He gave her an apologetic smile and a look that told her that he would fill her in later.

They pulled up in front of the elementary school. Phoebe watched at Mulder and Scully both went and stood on the school yard together. Who was this stony woman that had Mulder found so worthy of his time. Dana Scully. Phoebe wanted to snort. Even her name plain. She was short, redheaded not at all Mulder's type. He preferred women such as herself. Outgoing, leggy burnet who stole a room simply by walking into it. What did this Dana Scully woman have that had Mulder so fascinated?

Phoebe watched as a small child with bouncy brown curls bolt from the school building and wrap her arms around the red head's legs before getting swooped up by Mulder. Even from yards away she could see the three of them were smiling and laughing.

Was the child his? The girl certainly did not share any characteristic of Scully. Phoebe was mentally running through the possibilities as Mulder carried the girl on his shoulder's back to the car.

Scully opened the door as Mulder dropped her into the seat on the opposite side from Phoebe and immediately the girl's expression fell. She looked up at Mulder with big blue eyes, but stayed silent.

"Shiloh, say hello to Phoebe," Mulder said gently, knowing how quickly she shuts down around strangers, as well as trying to seem friendly toward the woman. If Shiloh picked up on his and Scully's true feelings toward this woman Shiloh would only become more difficult.

Shiloh just looked away from the woman, burying her face in Mulder's coat.

Scully turned around in the front seat and gave the girl a look. "Shiloh, please be polite and tell Ms. Phoebe hello."

Shiloh looked at her. "Sorry, Mommy." Then she turned to Phoebe and didn't even try to smile. "Hello."

Scully sighed, sounding defeated. Phoebe took it as the girl was naturally reserved and didn't care much for strangers. Either that or she shared similar instincts as her mother.

"Hello," Phoebe returned pleasantly.

Still, Shiloh looked put out the entire time Phoebe was present, as she explained the arson cases. Shiloh hid away sitting against the wall coloring until Phoebe pecked Mulder's lips, just to twist the knife she had already shoved into Scully's chest.

"I don't like her," Shiloh snapped the very words Scully was thinking. "Not one bit." Shiloh bolted toward Mulder and wrapped her arms around his legs.

Scully normally would have told her daughter that she didn't know Phoebe so it really wasn't fair to not like someone you don't know. But Scully didn't like her either.

"Three pipe problem?" Scully questioned, raising her eyebrow at Mulder.

He knew she had seen the way Phoebe was trying to claim him as her own by using private jokes and apparent flirting, but it wasn't chasing Scully away. In fact, it was only making her more willing to stick around.

"That's from, uh, Sherlock Holmes. It's a private joke," Mulder said trying to brush it off.

But Scully wasn't stupid. "How private?"

He regretfully told her of his experience with Phoebe. How they were classmates at Oxford and how he got in way over his head and got burned. He tried to remind her how this was over a decade ago, but it didn't help much. Scully was felt threatened, even if she played it off well.

"I noticed how you couldn't drop everything fast enough to help her out," Scully said nonchalantly not looking at him.

"I was merely extending her some courtesy," he replied sighing. Nothing like pretending like your partner wasn't jealous.

"Oh, it that what you were extending?" Scully insinuated. He just rolled his eyes but her could help but smile. He noticed she was smiling too. She never ceased to amaze him.

Shiloh looked up at Mulder and frowned. "She's not going to be your new partner is she?" Shiloh asked, her tone slightly bitter toward the woman.

Mulder shook his head. "Of course not! Your mom's my one and only partner and I don't plan on getting rid of her." He kneeled down closer to Shiloh. "Especially not for some mean ole Phoebe Greene."

Scully tried to pretend his words didn't get to her, but they did. So she stood up and scoop up Shiloh too. "Good, then you won't mind some help on this case."

Mulder smiled, too pleased to argue. "Why not. Just beware of," he dropped his voice and looked down to Shiloh. "Phoebe Greene."

A couple days later Mulder and Phoebe decided to set a trap for the arsonist at a party the British couple was holding. They did this without the consent of Scully, in fact they did so without Scully even knowing, partly because of Phoebe insinuating jumping his bones in the hotel that night.

Mulder had only just arrived at the hotel and he was already feeling guilty. He felt like he was betraying Scully not only by being there but by considering accepting Phoebe's offer. Then his phone rang.

He pulled it out of his pocket. "Mulder," he said still sounding slightly in a haze.

"_It's Scully, where are you?"_

He sucked in a breath, he could tell she was none the wiser about what he was doing and it only made him feel worse.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm in Boston."

He could feel her hesitation, but she kept going. _"I've got something to show you. I'm coming up there"_

"What have you got?" Mulder asked her, trying to keep the business in his tone.

"_I might have some information about the identity of your arson suspect," _she told him. He didn't reply right away, mostly because he didn't know if he should tell her not to come or let her. This was a very grey area. _"Are you there, Mulder?"_

"Yeah," he said dreamily.

It sounded like she was beginning to tire of his distraction. _"Can I meet you somewhere?"_

He took a deep breath and fiddled with his suitcase. "No. It's just… I'm kinda anticipating having my hands full."

That was the phrase that he regretted more than anything. Scully heard what was he was trying not to say and she heard it loud and clear. He was going to have his hands full of Phoebe. The thought made her sick to her stomach as she put the papers down on the table and closed her eyes, still holding the phone to her ear even after the line disconnected.

This was the moment where she was supposed to get over her own feelings and let Phoebe Greene take the win. Mulder was not her lover, he was her partner. She had no right to feel jealous, but she did. She also felt hurt and betrayed.

Taking a deep breath she leaned back into her seat. Then again, Dana Scully had never been very good at giving up on a fight.

In her head she was doing this because the information on the arson suspect was crucial and needed to get to Mulder as fast as possible, she was dressed up because she wanted to blend in and not be stared at awkwardly, and Shiloh was in the back seat because for the last three days she had been pushed off to her grandparents.

The smallest past of her knew the true reasons she was driving to Boston. She wanted to see Mulder, to see if he was truly choosing Phoebe, she was dressed up because she wanted to show him that she could be beautiful too, just not the leggy brunet type of beautiful, and Shiloh was in the backseat because Scully honestly didn't want her to be pushed off to her parents four nights in a row.

"Are we going to one of Ahab's dances?" Shiloh asked as Scully handed the valet her keys and picked her up.

"No, Mommy's going to go find Mulder and you're going to go upstairs to play with the other kids, alright?" Scully told her nodding at one of the guards who escorted the both up the steps.

Scully knelt down in front of her daughter, fixing her dress. "Please be good, this won't take long, alright?"

Shiloh looked put out, but nodded and followed the guard through the door where the other kids were playing.

Scully took a deep breath and headed for the ballroom only to stop in the doorway to see Phoebe dancing cheek to cheek with Mulder, whispering into his ear. Her heart broke. How could she have even dreamed of competing with this woman? Phoebe and Mulder had history. What did Mulder have with her?

_Chemistry. Friendship. Respect. A chance at love?_

Perhaps that's why she did. Perhaps that's why she walked straight up toward Mulder, catching his eye. His feet stopped moving and he stepped away from Phoebe. Mulder's lips quirked into a smile as he moved toward her, touching her bare arms and examining her in the floor length black dress, barely letting his eyes linger on the sweetheart neckline.

"You look amazing," he said in barely more than a whisper. She was in heels and he still towered over her.

Her face heated up and she had to look away from him. He looked so handsome. "I just didn't want to look ridiculous when I gave you this," she muttered offering him the information she had found.

Phoebe stared at the two. Of course, she couldn't win him over by batting her eye lashes and speaking fondly of the old days. Not when his heart so clearly belonged to someone else.

Mulder was about to take a look at the information when one of the bellhops came running toward them. "There's a fire on the third floor!"

Phoebe looked at the two of them. "That's where the children are."

Scully's heart dropped to her stomach as she stared with horror up at Mulder. "Shiloh too."

Mulder took off. Sprinting toward the staircases, Scully hot on his heels. He shouted at her to stay back, and she knew it was best, it was difficult to move in a dress anyway.

As he made it to the door of the third floor, he stopped. He hated fires. No, he was terrified of it. But this was Shiloh, he had to get to her.

Taking a deep breath he pulled the door open and started running toward the children's cries for help. He could hear Shiloh's most distinctively and he wasn't sure if it was because she voice was higher than the little boys or because he was listening harder for it.

The smoke was getting thicker and it was getting harder for him to breath so he tried to get lower to the floor.

"Mommy!" he heard Shiloh crying over the little boy's pleas to get free. "Mulder!" she cried louder.

"Shiloh!" Mulder tried to call, but smoke only filled his lungs more making him hit his knees and continue crawling toward the blaring flame.

"Mulder!" Shiloh cried again slumping against the only wall that wasn't blazing. "Mulder! Help!"

There were four children. All of them crying as flames roared louder and louder.

"Shiloh?" a voice called as the burning door was kicked open and a figure moved toward them.

Shiloh watched as another figure appeared too. "You grab two, I'll grab the other two," one man called over the roaring flames. Shiloh could see one figure grab two of the boys beside her and take off running while the other wrapped its arms around her and the other boy and start sprinting for the stairs.

"Mulder!" Shiloh cheered finally being able to see the figures fast as he stumbled into the staircase and collapsed against the wall.

He let go of the two children and looked Shiloh in the eye. "You and him go as fast as you can down the steps to your mom, do you understand?" Mulder commanded though his words were broken with hacking coughs.

Shiloh nodded and grabbed the boy's hand.

"Mommy!" she cried the entire way down until she was scooped up by her mother and the boy was scooped up by his.

"Shiloh, where's Mulder?" Scully asked her daughter as she inspected her for injuries or burns.

She didn't speak, just pointed toward the staircases. Scully almost ran up after him, but the firefighters were already on their way.

As they brought him down, Scully and Shiloh immediately went to his side. Part of Scully couldn't help but wonder why Phoebe wasn't at his side too, but the rest of her didn't particularly care about anything but the safety of her partner and child. The firefighters were giving him oxygen while Shiloh attached on him.

Shiloh looked up at her mother. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked frantically. "Mulder saved me, Mommy."

Everyone else was cheering over the man who brought down the MP's sons, not caring that Mulder risked his life to save the other children too.

Scully put her hands on his face, searching his eyes. He looked deeply into hers. "I would save her again too." He tried to laugh but it came out as a joke.

Scully laughed with him, trying to pretend she wasn't holding back tears. They held each other's eyes for a long time before she moved in and kissed his lips. It was just suppose to be a thank you but it felt like more.

Suddenly Mulder broke away coughing and Scully held the oxygen mask up for him, her face heating up in embarrassment. But Mulder just smiled at her.

"Can we try that again when I don't have smoke in my lungs?"

Scully and him both laughed while Phoebe watched the entire thing. They really did look good together. They looked like a family.

Shiloh curled into Mulder's arm as Scully kept a watchful eye over him, being sure to keep both of them smiling. Phoebe never stood a chance when Scully already had the man's heart.


	6. Still Learning

_**So, I may be shunned for writing this, but I had to. Scully+Shiloh makes for a slightly different Scully after all. Anyway. I really hop you guys enjoy.  
**_

It was Christmas Eve and Shiloh was beginning to wear her mother down. She was jumping around as Scully tried to finish dinner before the family arrived. Mulder was supposed to be on his way to save Scully's sanity. When he accidentally told Scully that he didn't have plans for Christmas she demanded he come spend time with her and Shiloh. Even if he had to deal with the Scully brood too.

Mulder tried to politely decline, but a little more time with Scully and Shiloh sounded amazing. Shiloh had celebrated her seventh birthday at the beginning of the month and the three of them went ice skating, drank hot chocolate and went to the city for a nice dinner. The night ended with Mulder carrying Shiloh into her room and kissing her good night then Scully and Mulder sitting on the couch, having a couple beers and watching some terrible Christmas movies. More than anything, he was hoping for something close to a repeat.

"Aunt Missy's come too, right? And Ahab and Granma?" Shiloh asked as she bounced up and down in front of her mother, her big blue eyes wide with excitement.

"And Uncle Bill, Aunt Tara, and Uncle Charlie," Scully told her daughter as she tried to get some coffee into her system for some extra energy. The little thing was like an energy siphon.

The door bell rang and Shiloh took off for the door. Scully inhaled and slowly followed after her, to see her daughter bouncing in front of the door, not so patiently awaiting her mother's permission to answer the door. "Can I open it, Mommy? Please?"

There was a sounding of beating on the door. "Little girl, little girl let me in!" Mulder's voice carried through the apartment making Shiloh's face only light up more as she danced in front of the door waiting for Scully's permission still.

But Scully was already laughing and had another plan. Moving towards the door she leaned against the wall. "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!"

Mulder's voice got lower and more playful. "Then I'll huff and I'll puff and," Scully reached for the door and pulled it open getting out of the way so her partner could scoop up Shiloh and spin her around while giving her a loving Eskimo kiss.

The girl's giggles filled the apartment as Scully watched pleasantly. Then he turned to Scully.

She felt her face heat up under his hazel eyes. She partially wanted him to go in and kiss her in that sweet domestic way that was almost childish. Still, she stood there, completely confused on where they stood at the moment. They hadn't talked about their "slightly more than a thank you" kiss or the quick peck on the cheeks as Mulder left her apartment after spending time with Shiloh.

Scully assumed they were trying to pretend whatever was between them was completely normal. That she wasn't resisting kissing him as he looked down at her with those daring eyes.

"Hello Scully," he said, his lips surprisingly playful.

"Mulder," she said with surprising warmth.

He was let Shiloh slide down his side so he could pick up a large container of presents. Giving Scully a bashful smile, he shrugged slightly. "I kinda went over bored on the presents."

Shiloh's face lit up as she peaked her head into the box. "Are those for me?"

Mulder grinned at you. "For you and your Mom," he told her looking glancing at Scully for a moment then looking back down at Shiloh. "Why don't you show me where to put all these?"

Scully watched as Mulder was drug into the living room. Normally Christmas was at her parent's house, but this year she volunteered her place. Still, she was nervous about introducing her family to Mulder. It wasn't because she was in a relationship with him, but just because he was important to her and the last thing she needed was her brothers and father to bully him. It would have been easier if she wouldn't have invited him, but she couldn't let him spend Christmas alone. That was never an option.

As Mulder returned from putting the presents under the tree he smiled at Scully. "Fox Mulder is at your service," he told her taking a bow to her. "Where would you like me to start?"

Scully beamed at him. "Actually, I'm pretty well ahead of schedule. Turkey's in the oven, potatoes on the stove. Missy, Mom, and Tara are bringing dishes as well."

Shiloh latched onto her mother's arm as the door bell rang again. Scully looked up at Mulder who suddenly seemed a little nervous. "There's really nothing to be afraid of," she told him as she pulled him into the hallway. Then she paused and looked up at Mulder. "Except for maybe Bill. He can be a little, er, protective."

Mulder was already protective of Shiloh and Scully so he was curious to see how this all turned out.

"And don't forget to call me Dana. My parents will probably look at you like you're crazy if you call me Scully," she said for the hundredth time this week. Finally she stopped at the door and turned her body completely to him, smiling up at him with something he had never seen before. "Don't worry," she said seeing right through his cool exterior. "I won't let them get you."

They both laughed. Scully took an extra second to smooth the collar of his button up shirt before reaching for the door.

Missy was on the other side of the door, holding a 9x13 pan of something with oven mitts. Before even greeting her sister, Melissa looked over at the man that her niece had crawled into the arms of. Slowly turning to her sister, her lips quirked into a devilish grin.

"Hey Danes," she greeted kissing her sister on the cheek and turning back to Mulder. "Hello random person standing in my sister's living room."

Scully blushed at her sister's lack of manners. She had always been painfully blunt. "This is my partner Fox Mulder," she introduced.

Missy gave her sister a look that seemed obviously pleased. "So _you're _Mulder. I've heard a lot about you from both my sister and Shiloh," she said shamelessly making her sister blush deepen.

"Hopefully all good," Mulder replied forcing a laugh. "You must be Melissa."

Soon the entire Scully clan was sitting in Scully's living room. Bill Junior was watching Mulder like a hawk as he and Scully sat together on her arm chair. He was in the seat with Shiloh in his lap while Scully sat on the arm. For only being colleagues they seemed a little too close for comfort, at least his comfort.

The red hair seemed to have only passed to the daughters of the family but the men in the family took on the thick build of their father. Scully looked small compared to her siblings, standing several inches shorter than even Melissa, yet Mulder couldn't help but think she had taken the cake in the looks department. Still, he may be a little bias.

They had been sitting and laughing, enjoying each other's company.

Charlie was telling the story, they all were laughing so hard that Missy was nearly crying. "Then Dana comes in, her face bright red, and she say-she says, 'Dad is going to kill me.' So immediately I run outside to see that Dana has driven straight through the garage."

Mulder looked up at Scully and grinned at her. "I knew there was a reason I preferred driving," he teased earning a dangerous brow from her that didn't hide her pink cheeks though.

Missy nudged Charlie and nodded at them. Dana had always been so painfully serious and there she was giggling and laughing with him like she was a new person. The last time she had seen such a drastic change in their sister was when Shiloh came into their lives. She was so happy, not blissfully, but she was happy. Happier.

The timer went off on the stove and Scully looked at Mulder. "I've got to get the turkey out of the oven."

He put Shiloh on the ground and stood up. "I'll help you."

Maggie didn't miss how her daughter looked at Fox, she was sure the entire family was seeing it. That would explain Bill's coldness to him as well as his father's extreme interest in their work. His niece seemed to have taken to him much easier than she had taken to any of his family, even his father.

Shiloh looked up at her mother as they walked into the kitchen and suddenly everyone in the room had the same idea.

Ahab patted his lap. "Come here Stubb," he said to his grandchild as he patted his lap. She hurried over him and hopped into his lap. She looked up at him. "Can I ask you a question?"

Shiloh nodded still concerned with her stuffed puppy. "Uh huh."

"Does Mommy and Fox spend a lot of time together?" Ahab said softly, glancing up at the entry way to the kitchen.

Shiloh gave her grandfather a funny look. "Course. They work a lot," she told them.

Everyone in the room resisted a groan. "No, no. I mean, do they spend a lot of time together when they're not at work?"

Shiloh's face lit up. "Oh yeah! Mulder takes me to the park and he tells me good night and then he and Mommy watch TV and old movies together. Sometimes I can sleep on the couch with them."

Everyone in the room took this in and tried to decipher it. They were definitely more than partners, but did they even know they were more than friends? Maggie knew the look in her daughter's eyes. She had had the same look in her own eyes before. That look was the beginning of something very powerful.

Scully nudged Mulder as he lifted the turkey out of the oven. They both were absurdly smiley. She and Shiloh had a way of making him relax and look at how lucky he was to have the things he did right in front of him. He lifted the pan on to the counter top and turned around and looked at her.

She was giggling slightly, but she had also had a glass of wine and she loved the way Mulder looked at her. It was Christmas and something about having him there with her made everything better.

Mulder smiled at her as she looked away from him. "Thanks for coming," she told him, sliding her hand into his.

He smiled at her and raised her hand to his lips. "Thank you for inviting me," he whispered. Her heart leaped and she looked into his eyes. She smiled a little and he took a step closer to her. "Really. Thank you Scully. You have no idea how much this meant to me."

Dana put her hands on his face and smiled at him. "I pretty sure Shiloh wouldn't have had it any other way," she told him. "And neither would I."

She looked down and realized their fingers were intertwined. It was like no matter what they did, there were somehow always ending up closer. It was liked they were two magnets not being able to stay away.

Closing her eyes, she was tempted to fall into this moment, but she knew better. "Mommy!" Shiloh exclaimed making her pull her hand back as the little girl came bouncing into the kitchen. "Uncle Charlie says you need to hurry up with dinner before he wh-whi-"

"Before I wither away," Charlie finished for her, scooping her. Scully smiled at her brother as Shiloh looked at her uncle. Charlie was easier to warm to than Bill but since Bill was around more than Charlie her daughter was still a little leery of him.

Charlie studied his sister and her partner as they went to gather the rest of his family. He had a strange feeling that this was not the last he would see of Mulder. In fact, they better save him at Easter.

After dinner, Charlie and Melissa politely excused themselves. Melissa kissed both of them on the cheek, grinning at her baby sister as she did so to Mulder. Charlie shook Mulder's hands and looked him in the eye. "You take care of my sister, okay? Don't let her go running into any trouble."

Mulder laughed a little at him. "Are you kidding? They better start paying me better for a job like that!"

Scully gave him the infamous eyebrow making her brother laugh again. Giving her brother a peck goodbye, she noticed Shiloh was falling asleep in her father's arms. She softly asked Mulder to rescue her father so he could leave too.

The big blue eyes met his and she buried her face in his shirt. "I don't want to go to bed, Mulder," she whined softly making Ahab chuckle.

"Don't worry, you're not going to bed yet," Scully told her daughter, pushing her hair off her face as Mulder rubbed her back.

Maggie and Bill Sr. stood up followed by Bill Jr and Tara hugged both Mulder and Scully giving them her charming smile that her husband definitely didn't have. "Don't be a stranger okay?" she told the two of them as Bill just nodded at Mulder as his sister pecked him on the cheek.

Mulder smiled at them as they left, leaning into Scully a bit to say something, but Ahab interrupted him. "It was nice to meet you, Fox. You take care of my Starbuck, alright?" Mulder shuffled Shiloh into one arm so he could shake the older gentleman's hand.

"Yes sir," Mulder told him giving one of his best charming gentleman smiles. "It's an honor to work with your daughter, she's quite the agent."

Scully looked up at Mulder. Did he know that she searched for her father's approval since she joined the FBI? Not to mention, it was quite the compliment coming from Mulder. It took her a second to be sure she wasn't blushing.

Maggie came up and kissed her daughter's cheek before kissing her granddaughter. The mumbled goodbyes and finally Mulder looked down at Scully. "I really think your brother hates me."

They moved together to the kitchen as Shiloh snuggled deeper into Mulder's arms. He shifted her some to wake her up. "I thought you wanted to stay awake," he teased making the girl whine a little.

"I do, but I'm sleepy," she told him making both of them laugh.

"How about we put you to bed and you can wake up extra early and open presents?" Scully offered silently telling Mulder to put her to bed. Shiloh was so exhausted she didn't even argue. Together they tucked the little girl in and both kissed her goodnight before heading into the living room together.

"So, another family gathering tomorrow?" Mulder asked her as they both collapsed on the couch and she passed him the remote. She curled her feet underneath her body and rested her head against the back of the couch. She closed her eyes and inhaled.

"No, thank God. I love them and all but I can't spend more than a few hours with them at a time," she groaned. "And yes. Bill hates you."

Mulder snorted at that while he flipped through the channels. Of course Bill hated him. Scully was a beautiful woman that invited someone that was a stranger to him to a family event. A protective older brother like that was bound to hate him. Though, truthfully, there wasn't a huge reason for Bill to really hate him. It wasn't like they were dating.

He looked over to see Scully in her crème sweater and blue jeans. Her blue eyes closed as she took soft breaths. Much like her daughter, she too was exhausted. Without opening her eyes she found Mulder's hand and she squeezed it.

"Stay tonight," she told him. "You should be here in the morning when Shiloh opens the presents since half of them are from you." She barely opened her eyes to give him a teasing smile. "Plus you have to open yours as well."

Mulder grinned at her and squeezed her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles. "You really think I didn't get you anything?" he teased making her eyes light up. She sat up quickly and sprang toward the tree in the corner of the room.

He followed behind her both of them kneeling on the ground to search for their gifts like children. Finally Mulder found his and looked up to see Scully holding a rectangular box. They grinned at each other, then Scully stopped and glanced toward the hallway.

"Should we wait until tomorrow? I mean, it's technically not Christmas yet," she told him looking up at the clock.

Mulder smiled at her. "It's less than two hours away. How about we open our gifts tonight and let Shiloh open hers tomorrow?" he offered.

Giving him a playful look she tore into the paper and Mulder waited. He wanted to see her face when she opened it. The playful gleam in her eyes faded as she gasped. That was the reaction he was hoping for. He laughed a little as she lifted up a beautiful charm bracelet and she looked tearful. Then his laugh was contagious as she noticed the first of four charm. It was a little green alien head.

She then looked at the second. It was a small cross, much like the one she wore around her neck. The third was a heart and the final one said "Mom".

"They didn't have a little _grey_ alien head, but I figured we could let that slide," he said shrugging a little.

"It that the only thing you're letting slide?" she teased, raising an eyebrow and moving on her hand and knees toward him.

He swallowed hard as she sat down in front of him. Their knees were touching as she lifted the box off his lap and held it higher so that he'd open it. She worried that her present wouldn't match up to his, but she honestly did try.

Like a little boy, he clawed away the Christmas wrapping paper and beamed as he saw the framed picture of Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Aurelius Belt's space walk along with a NASA key chain and a dark blue button up shirt. One she bough because she was sure it would really bring out his beautiful hazel eyes.

He smiled at her. "You win. This is going on my desk," he told her holding up the picture. Scully gave him a skeptical look as she held up the charm bracelet again.

"No, Mulder, I can honestly say this is maybe the best Christmas present I've ever been given," she told him.

He gently reached for the bracelet and lifted her hand so he could clasp it on her wrist. Their eyes met as he did so. "The Mom charm was the first one I chose," he told her as both their hands settled on their knees. He studied her beautiful blue eyes. "You're a great Mom, Scully. Really. Shiloh's really lucky to have you."

There was a moment of completely silence where Scully tried to sort out her emotions. Slowly she pulled her hands away from him and moved back toward the couch. "Wanna know something funny?" she asked him as she pulled the throw blanket off the back and waited for him to join her.

He moved toward her and sat next to her on the couch where she surprised him by leaning into him and letting him pull her into his side. "What?"

"I was never supposed to work that shift in the ER," she told him as she barely looked up at him. "In fact if the physician on call hadn't had appendicitis I would have never met Shiloh, I would have never been the mother to that wonderful little girl."

Her life would have been completely different it if it wasn't for that night. She had completely changed since her daughter came into her life. Mulder almost wished he could have seen the before and after, he had a feeling he would have been surprised.

"But you know what?" Scully said to him, but didn't wait for a reply. "She taught me a lot." She leaned closer into him and crawled in closer to him, getting up on her knees so her face was right next to his. "Two things though that really stick out among the rest."

Their bodies were so close. Mulder's hands had moved to her shoulders as she leaned in, only inches away from his face. He could feel her hot breath and she could feel his. They both were smiling like fools. "If you don't the chance, you'll never know," she whispered.

They stared at each other before Mulder's hand moved up to her cheek. She was so warm. So beautiful. Slowly he moved in and he kissed her lips. She was quick to respond as her hands slid behind his neck and his moved into her hair. They moved together as Scully climbed on top of him and grinded her body into his. She could feel his arousal and she couldn't help but smile even through the kiss. She didn't want to play these games anymore, she wanted to take a chance.

Mulder groaned and his hands fell down on to her hips. Her lips tasted so good that he wanted to taste more. He wanted to kiss her skin, starting with her neck. Pushing her hair off her neck, he barely dragged his lips away from hers and kissed the area behind her ear and her body pulsed with pleasure.

Her nails dug into her back as he raised her shirt and lift her with one hand so that they were horizontal on the couch with him on top. His fingers danced on her bare back as she assisted him and pulling her shirt over her head and discarded it on the floor.

She wanted this, he wanted this. But neither of them wanted it to be wasted on a couch like horny teenagers. They struggled to their feet. Mulder didn't even hesitate. He lifted Scully off her feet and she wrapped her legs around him, crossing her ankles as they made their way down the hallway.

She was working on the buttons of his shirt when they hit the bed.

Mulder laid next to her on the bed, staring up at the ceiling while his hands traced absent circles on her back. Still damp with sweat, he couldn't help but smile like a fool. But then something clicked in his head.

"What was the other thing?" he asked his partner who was laying with her head on his shoulder and rubbing her hand along his chest.

She looked up at him, slightly confused. "What?"

His eyes met hers as they both laid there. He was laying in bed with his partner, both of them completely naked after having sex, in her apartment on Christmas Eve. In any other case, Mulder could have seen himself sealing this as a one night stand, but that wasn't what he wanted. In fact if someone would have told him a year ago this was where he would be, in bed with a woman who had a six year old daughter, he would have told them they had the wrong man. Yet there he was. Feeling more perfectly in place than he could even explain.

"You said Shiloh has taught you two things. What was the other?"

She smiled up at him before settling back against his shoulder and closing her eyes. "She taught me to love."

_Funny_, Mulder thought. _That just might be that little girl's super power._

"I think I'm still learning," he said so softly that Scully barely hear him.

She glanced passed him to the clock beside her bed. 12:01 AM. Leaning into him, she kissed his lips one last time. "Merry Christmas, Mulder."

He returned her kiss and pulled her a little closer. "Yes it is."

_**Ok! There you go! Please review!  
**_


	7. Standing

_**Sorry about the delay. I've been on a role with one of my other stories. Anyway. I hope you all enjoy!**_

One Week Later

"Dad, you know I can put her to bed," Scully reassured her father as he carried Shiloh to her room.

"It's alright, Starbuck, you're cleaning up," he assured her as Maggie held up her hand to Scully telling her not to argue.

Both the women shook their heads as Bill Senior carried the child into her bedroom. He cherished his little Stubb and was always happy to help out however he possibly could. It wasn't very often that Scully admitted to herself that things would probably have been nearly impossible with Shiloh without the help and support of her parents, and she would always be grateful to them for all they did for her and Shiloh.

"Stubborn as a mule, that man," Maggie told her daughter, shaking her head as Scully dried her hands.

"Oh, yes. He must be where I get it," Scully replied lightly, giving her mother a humored smile.

When her father returned he strolled over to the Christmas tree that was still up, even though it was already the second of January. "Going to keep this up all year?" he asked.

"Yup. All year," she told him, pushing her red hair behind her ear and straightening the sleeve of her white blouse. "Since you always made us take the Christmas tree down the day after Christmas, I'm making up for lost time."

He smirked at her. She was definitely his daughter, smart tongue and all. "If your idea of a good time is picking up dried pine needles, treat yourself," he quipped back.

"I pick up after that little munchkin, what's some pine needles?"

They exchanged a humored glance as Scully leaned against the counter. "Alright, Maggie, let's shove off," he told his wife. "That granddaughter of ours needs to get as much rest as possible and she'll wake up if we stay much longer."

Maggie looked slightly disappointed. "Oh, okay," she said then turned to her daughter. "Thank you for having us." They gave a tight hug. "Dinner was delicious, as usual."

"Thanks, Mom," Scully replied breaking the embrace to turn toward her father. She took a few steps toward him and puffed her chest out a little before raising her hand to her head in a small salute. "Good sailing, Ahab."

He grinned at her and pulled her into a hug. "Goodnight, Starbuck."

Maggie and Bill Sr. exchanged a look over her shoulder. There was something that needed to be said that was up to Bill to say. "How's work? Good?" he asked her, surprising her more than a little. He was making an effort, but she didn't see it the same way. She felt like he was testing her.

She nodded and looked him square in the eye. Her beautiful features not showing any sign of aggression or defense. "Yup. It's good."

"And that partner of yours?" Bill asked, his eyebrow raising in a similar Scully fashion.

She fought the smile that came to her lips at the thought of Mulder. "He's good. Don't worry, Dad. He's got my back and I've got his."

Bill seemed alright with this answer, but at the same time, Scully didn't see that. All she saw was worry. She followed her parents to the door and locked it behind them. As much as she loved her parents, sometimes it was easier to take them in polite conversation about nothing than them asking about her job and her partner.

Scully wasn't quite ready for bed, so she curled up on the couch with a glass of wine and decided to watch some of her favorite old movies. It didn't take long for her eyes to drift closed and she fell asleep with the throw pulled around her still wearing her clothes from the day before.

Something woke her. She wasn't sure what, but something did. Her eyes opened abruptly to see her father sitting in the chair across from her. His mouth was moving but she couldn't hear him.

Sitting up and pulling the blanket with her, she tilted her head. "Dad?" She kept looking at him. "I thought you guys left. Where's Mom?"

Bill Sr.'s mouth kept moving, but still there was nothing audible. The phone ringing made her jump and she answered it quickly so it wouldn't wake Shiloh. By the time she looked back, her father was gone.

Confused, she kept staring at the empty arm chair. Her eyebrows furrowed, unsure if she dreampt the whole thing or not. "Hello?"

There was a sound of muffled crying in the background and instinctual panic set in. "Hello?" she tried again.

"_Dana?"_ And just like that, her heart dropped even more. When a mother calls their daughter crying it's never a good sign.

"Mom?" The alarm in her voice was evident, as was the urgency. "What's the matter?"

"_We, um… we lost your dad. He had a…. a massive coronary about an hour ago. He's gone."_

Scully was shaking as she turned toward the arm chair. That was impossible. Her dad. He was sitting in her living room, not thirty seconds ago. But that had to be a dream. _This _had to be a dream.

"What?" Scully asked softly, even though she had heard her mother crystal clear. "No…"

"_I know… I… We're going to have to… to tell Shiloh…"_

For a moment Scully had forgotten that part. But her mother was already going through so much. "No, Mom. It's alright. I'll tell Shiloh. We'll come over tomorrow afternoon."

Maggie was starting to cry harder on the other end of the phone. _"I have to go Dana. I have to tell your brothers…"_

Just like that, the phone conversation was over. No goodbye, no I love you, nothing. It took less than a minute phone call to be information that her father was gone, that she'd never see her beloved Ahab again.

Slowly she moved back toward the couch and sat there for a long moment trying to sort everything out in her head. He was just at her house. She searched her mind for memories of the symptoms, but she found none. She wasn't looking. Suddenly she began to cry.

Scully sat there. Her face in her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks freely as she struggled to keep herself from completely breaking. How was she supposed to tell her seven year old daughter that her beloved grandfather was dead? That the man she had seen only hours ago was gone and she would never run into the loving arms of her Ahab again. How do you tell your child that?

A quiet sob broke her as she curled up onto the couch and pulled the blanket tight around her. She couldn't stop crying and she had to. She had to find some place calm so that she could be the rock for her daughter.

Silently Scully cursed the world. Shiloh was just starting to love again and this happens. The person she held on the highest pedestal was lost to her, just like her birth parents. How can this happen to such a precious little girl? Why was she damned to a life of tragedy?

She entire body shook as she cried into her hands. _Mulder._ Her mind suddenly called for him. Shiloh would need him. Shiloh would want him. She didn't dare admit to herself that she wanted him there too. After waking up next to him on Christmas morning, she suddenly feared the worst. What if something between her and Mulder happened, something bad, and Mulder left? Her daughter adored him…

Still, he was her partner first. She was going to make this work. He just had to be patient with her. Truthfully, she hadn't had a serious relationship since Shiloh came into her life. Priorities change. Shiloh came first in her life, followed by her career and then herself. Mulder fit in all three categories and that complicated things for her. The magnetic full she had to him was unexplainable, but they had been working together for ten months now. In a way they had just met but it felt like they had known each other for years.

Taking a deep breath and trying to calm her sobs, she reached for the phone. She knew his number by heart and as she dialed in. It was the smallest comfort in just knowing he was going to be there with her, even if just on the phone. She took a deep breath and bit her lip.

"_Mulder." _His voice was husky with sleep and suddenly she felt extremely guilty. Of course he was sleeping, what the hell was she thinking?

Closing her eyes, she rubbed her damp face. "I'm sorry, Mulder. I shouldn't have called."

"_Scully?"_ Suddenly he was much more awake. _"What's wrong?" _

Mulder's heart was racing as he sat up on the couch and immediately reached for his shirt. He could tell she was upset. It was written in her voice, and even if it wasn't it was two o'clock in the morning. Something was definitely wrong. "Is Shiloh okay?" he asked as he tried to pull his shirt over his head and searched for a pair of jeans. _Please let Shiloh be okay, _he mentally added.

"_She's okay. I mean. It's not her," _Mulder froze as he heard Scully choke on a sob.

"Dana, what's wrong?" he said softly, already wishing he was there to comfort her.

The sound of her voice was so broken that he almost didn't hear it. _"I just don't know how to tell her that her grandfather died."_

His heart broke as he let himself fall onto his couch. Of course her first thought was of her daughter. _"She's going to want to see you," _she told him softly. _"I don't want you to feel obligated but could you maybe come over in the morning?"_

He wanted to save her, he wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her that things were going to be okay. Scully thought the world of her father, he knew that. He knew Shiloh did too. So why couldn't she let him help her right then? Let him go to her, wrap her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay.

"I'll be there," he told sitting back against the couch and keeping his eyes closed.

She leaned over the side of the couch and hung up the phone. There was no point in attempting to sleep. Instead, she stood up and went to her kitchen. Coffee, only because she refused to be on her forth glass of wine when he daughter woke up.

Mulder didn't sleep after her call. He didn't sleep that often either. Still, his mind wondered until he couldn't take it any longer. It was six o'clock in the morning and he was standing outside Scully's door, resisting knocking on the door.

Suddenly the door opened and Mulder looked at his partner in shock, embarrassed to be caught. He blinked and then suddenly offered out the plastic bag her paper was in.

She accepted it as though this was a common occurrence; obviously her emotions were numbed by the news of her father's death. "Would you like some coffee?" she asked him, expecting him to follow her into the apartment.

Taking a deep breath, Mulder fell into step behind her and followed her into the kitchen."Sure," he accepted though he had a feeling she would have poured a cup anyway. His eyes fell to her wrist where he noticed she was wearing the charm bracelet he had gotten her for Christmas.

"Dana," he said softly, reaching for her hand.

She looked up at him, connecting their hands and intertwining their fingers. The moment their eyes met, she broke. Tears escaping again. Mulder went to her and pulled her against him, holding her there in the kitchen.

"He was here not twelve hours ago and he was fine. A massive coronary."

Mulder moved her over to the couch and they laid together, her face buried into his neck. She was exhausted, he could see that. Her eyes had dark circles beneath them and she was unwilling to sleep. Still, as her head rested on his chest her eyes drifted closed despite the coffee she had already drank.

They had crossed some serious lines recently and they didn't know where to go. Scully was such a strong woman that she may have let him cross a line, but he wasn't sure what to do now. Did they begin outings? Actual dating? Or was this a game to her? They were best friends, but now there were benefits added in. The very last thing Mulder wanted to do was screw it up.

He knew Scully loved her father very much. Starbuck. That's what he called her. She was not really a Daddy's girl by definition, but she was most definitely her father's daughter. Shiloh felt much the same toward her beloved grandfather. He knew that's what was pushing Scully over the edge. Shiloh was not going to take it well. Maybe that was the real reason she called him over, for his experience in psychology.

That wasn't Scully's motive, not really. It helped, but really Shiloh was going to attach on to Mulder, the other main male figure in their life. Someone the Shiloh truly adored. Someone that Scully adored.

Her mind was cloudy with sleep as the rhythm of Mulder's heart lulled her to sleep. The pressure of her light weight against him, kept him in a half sleep, comfortable for an insomniac. They were alright.

A few hours later, they awoke on the couch. Scully shifted and Mulder woke easily, meeting her tired eyes as they both yawned. His hand touched her face as they laid close to each. "Morning," he said gently, checking her expression.

She rested her head against his shoulder and pressed her feet underneath his legs for extra warmth. Her hands were cold as they slid under his shirt and rested against his abs. It was almost erotic as her cold nose touched his jaw and mouth exhaled hot breath. "Thank you for staying," she whispered.

His warm hands slid underneath the back of her shirt and he held her close. "Thanks for calling."

The sound of cereal spilling into a bowl make them shoot up to see Shiloh standing on her chair getting ready to dump milk all over the kitchen table along with the cereal that was already rolling onto the floor. Scully was up in a heartbeat, saving herself from cleaning up an even bigger mess.

"Sweetie, what are you doing?" Scully asked, noticing that her daughter had dressed herself in miss matched colors and hair was more unruly than usual.

"I'm hungry," she said simply, as though it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Mulder grinned at her answer, mostly because she sounded just like Scully. Even the kid was getting a little sass in her voice.

Seeing that her mother was not satisfied with this answer, Shiloh sighed and pushed her dark curls out of her face as she hopped off the chair. Finally she began to reenact her morning mission. "I-" she pulled herself on the counter top, much to Scully's dismay, "got up here and-" she pulled open one of the cabinets revealing the bowls and motioned toward them, "got one of those and then I-" she sat down on the counter and hopped off, moving over to the cupboard, "climbed up-" she began to climb the shelves until she could reach the other boxes of cereal, "and gots my cereal and I-" she jumped down. Mulder glanced at Scully and noticed she was not nearly as impressed as he was as she covered her eyes with her free hand and shook her head. Shiloh opened the fridge and pointed to a vacant spot the most likely once held the milk. "Got my milk. 'Cause I'm a big girl and can make breakfast."

Scully was not in the mood for arguing. Instead she just poured the milk into the bowl for the girl and started cleaning off the table.

Mulder sat across from Shiloh who was half sitting/half standing on the chair as she ate her cereal pleasantly. Her eyes never left her mother as Scully made a fresh batch of coffee and poured a cup for Mulder and herself.

Shiloh eyed the cup and pursed her lips. "Mommy, I wanna be a grown up like you and Mulder," she said promptly. She pushed her empty cup toward her mother. "I want coffee too."

Leave it to Shiloh to make Scully smile at a time like this. "Sweetie, you won't like it," Scully told her as she glanced at Mulder's grin. His free hand was covering hers as they both sipped on their coffee.

"Please, Mommy. Ahab says it's for grownups."

The atmosphere turned sad again, and even Shiloh felt her mother's pain as she set her coffee down and took a deep breath. Mulder squeezed her hand as she pushed her chair back and moved toward the wide eyed girl, now giving her mother her full attention.

Scully picked her up and moved toward the couch. Shiloh didn't argue about being taken away from her breakfast before she was finished and Mulder just followed behind them. Scully had Shiloh on her lap facing her as she brushed unruly curls out of the way.

"Something very sad happened while we were sleeping, baby," Scully said softly, feeling new tears rise to the surface as she met her daughter's eyes. Shiloh only watched her mother intently. "Last night, Ahab got kinda sick. His heart got sick and stopped working-" The child was already catching on. It killed Mulder to see it as Shiloh started shaking her head, her hands latching onto her mother as Scully's voice started to crack. "And the doctors did their very best but-"

"He went to live with my real mommy and daddy… with the angels…" Shiloh finished for her. Tears rose to her daughters eyes and she shook her head violently. "No!" she shouted, burying her face in Scully's chest. "Tell the angels to go away! I don't want them anymore!"

Scully looked at Mulder for help as the girl started to sob, clinging to her mother for support. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and he finally realized that Scully didn't ask him there to guide her with telling Shiloh, but be there for both of them.

There was nothing they could say to make the pain go away. There was a funeral to plan, arrangements to be made, people to call, and Scully had to go to her mother's to help her with all of it. Mulder was her shoulder, because she was everyone else's. Through the next couple days, he didn't leave their side. Even getting take out for the entire family as they sat in Maggie's house making the arrangements.

Mulder didn't care if he didn't know where he and Scully stood, at least they were standing together.

_**Please review!**_


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